XLVI

“That guy is famous in Mexico,” my husband said Sunday when we were out and about in Super Bowl Village. He was pointing to a distinguished-looking man without a coat having a smoke outside of Circle Centre. Being Mexican, my husband recognized the man as the guy who calls the NFL games on TV in Mexico. Yes, that’s right—futbol isn’t the only type of football with a big fan base south of the border.

The Zipline is just getting warmed up, and Madonna hasn’t even been spotted yet, but already one expert is calling a victory for Indianapolis and raising the specter of another Super Bowl coming to town.

The weekend attendance numbers for the NFL Experience came out today: 42,238 visitors packed the convention center on Saturday (a one-day record for the attraction), and another 35,152 did the same on Sunday.

Before there was that first batch of nightly fireworks shooting up and out of the Super Bowl Village downtown, Jimmy Fallon ignited a multimedia storm of his own on Monument Circle when he appeared as his comedic alter ego Denise.

Name: John Dedman

Place an order at the Wilson Football Factory and watch a heap of leather pass through several hands as it transforms into a game ball. 

Imagine what Super Bowl weekend will be like for Ashley Manning. The obligations, the visitors, the expectations of a hometown hostess. The in-laws, the 10-month-old twins. And Eli playing Tom Brady in Peyton’s house!

Normally, I wouldn’t give a rat’s you-know-what about the officials working a pro football game. But when I heard that the crew for Super Bowl XLVI would include Tom Stabile, it made me smile.

You know Hoosiers—we’re a friendly lot. So Super Bowl volunteers probably won’t mind if you ask to check out their official volunteer jacket. And you should. The black Gore-Tex coat is a thing of beauty, sporting a subtle tone-on-tone pattern that’s almost like houndstooth. It’s warm and substantial without being bulky. Even prettier are the arctic-white parkas that some volunteers get to wear. Underneath the jacket, most volunteers will be wearing a long-sleeved Dri-Fit shirt with a zipper at the collar. And yes, volunteers get to keep the swag.

Today staff and volunteers careened down the Super Bowl Village ZipLine, which will open to the public tomorrow after the Super Bowl Village opening ceremony at 3 p.m.

Name: Allison Melangton

Lucas Oil Stadium tours are available sparingly all year round, but Wednesday was my first time inside. What better way to go than as an IM intern with the rest of the local media, as well as some not so local at all? The answer to that question isn’t completely rhetorical: Our tour was shortened slightly. Even so, it was led by Frank Supovitz, the NFL’s senior vice president of events.

This wasn’t just any ol’ stadium tour. This one includes the Colts’ locker room and a view of a “different” field.  It’s the same fake grass, but we just got there in time to see turf workers get down on their hands and knees to wipe the what remained of our home team’s lettering from the end zones.

“We’ve removed the horseshoe,” said Supovitz about the midfield logo, “very respectfully.”

Public tours have begun. The cost is $15 through Friday, so make haste to save. Prices go up to $25 starting Saturday, Feb. 28.

Rare birds among Super Bowl volunteers, those called “quarterbacks” will be in full flight on downtown streets sporting giant orange tail feathers with question marks on them. Think of these vols as roaming concierges. Each will carry a tablet, which they’ll use to answer visitors’ questions. They’ll communicate with teammates, unseen, at a downtown command center, who will be looking up answers as questions come in. “Play-calling,” as the process is known around the office of the Super Bowl Host Committee.

How serious is Rolling Stone about making its first Super Bowl party a hit? The magazine’s publisher, Matt Mastrangelo, has been keeping us up to speed on all the details, and this week he flew in from New York to share some more.

Name: Jill Henry